After we passed through the winding forest-y road of Bilar, we were led to a town called Carmen home of the Bohol’s scenic yet so famous tourist spot – the Chocolate Hills. At a distance it was already a spectacular view which looked like little sweet Hershey kisses which fell from the skies. And as you go towards it – you will be more amazed.

A perfect view of the hills from the dock.

Tip: Going to the very top of viewer’s deck has 2 entry points. First is by a winding inclined pathway located in the left most part entrance of the view site. The other one is n the right side which basically has narrow steep cemented stairs. I recommend that you try them both so you can get the full view from each sides.

Lush green trees grew at the foot hill. During rainy months, the hills will look more lively since it is bursting with different green hues.

This is how it looks when a hill was forcefully burned. Boholanos normally do this process to avoid a possibility of immense uncontrollable forest fire especially during summer months.

Next stop was the Butterfly Garden in the town of Guadalupe. The garden is very pretty and humid perfect habitat of different butterfly species. Butterflies normally roam around the garden, so it will always be exciting catching up with them. We didn’t spend a long time in the garden as we need to head back to Bilar to see the hanging bridge. Sad to say I didn’t have any pictures to show you since I’m not good dealing with heights.

Colorful butterflies fly freely in the garden. If you will be quiet enough with your steps you might be able to picture them.

Butterflies hang in plants.

Brown butterflies sitting on a leaf.

Now as we are approaching on the last league of our tour, we headed back to Tagbilaran to buy one of Bohol’s famous delicacies – Peanut Kisses!

This is shape simalar with the Hershey's but as locals say it is basically shaped to signify Bohol's aging treasure - the Chocolate Hills.

Tip: Go to any marketplace in Tagbilaran so that you can buy the peanut kisses in a cheaper price. I remember paying P45 only for 200 grams, plus you can get a good discount is you buy in great quantity. As for souvenir t-shirts and key chains head back to the stalls near the Blood Compact site. They are way more cheaper compare to any souvenir shops in Tagbilaran.

As the sun sets we headed back to Panglao. But our last day didn’t end without having a fantastic dinner and party craze at the shores of Alona. So after we rested and kept ourselves refreshed, we immediately looked for a cozy fun ambiance along the sandy stretch of Alona – and there we found Coco Vida Bar.

Open air breeze in Coco Vida is a just romantic, perfect for intimate dinner.

Dinner was nice – really nice compare to any restaurants in Alona we have already eaten before. Most dishes that they serve are Intercontinental from burger, pastas, salads, steaks down to finger picking foods like calamares and fries. The greatest thing with Coco Vida is not only they serve in huge amount – yes it means sulit on what you pay but the food is totally deliciouso! :)

Opps Bar at night.

And to totally enjoy the night, we decided to hit Opps Bar which is few meters away from Coco Vida. At 9pm, the bar was just filled with few happy giggling customers – all relaxing, chit-chatting and having their drinks. But as soon as people were piling up on each non-occupied tables and music tend to change from old school trance to r&b party hit songs – it was definitely a sign that one hell of a party is about to start. And it was!

Laser lights probing around the shores together with a hype vibe music

Tip: If you are the type of traveler that seeks happiness on wild craze parties then I recommend you to stay along Alona strip as most of nightlife scenes can be found. But if you prefer serenity then Dumaluan is perfect for you. Remember that it will take you more than 30mins to travel from one place to another and take consideration on the availability of basic transportation mode of Panglao – so its really hard to be in a place that you wont enjoy.

Always and ever present, a bottle of SMB :)

Sex on the Beach cocktail

Blue Lagoon cocktail

I could not count how many cocktails I had, even the rhum-cola drinks. Yes I totally soaked myself on that drink – why? Because it tasted like a sago, yummy! Opps Bar is totally the place to be if you want to chillax with your friends and dance the night away, so perfect for die hard party goers. Now who would have thought Panglao was once a quiet place, free from night life – not anymore especially if you are in Alona :)

10 comments

Hi! I just read your blog on your Bohol trip. I’m planning to go to Bohol in July all alone. Could you recommend an agency that can help me go there? How much do i shell out for my stay in Bohol (airfare, hotel, etc)? I’m planning like 3-day stay there. I hope you hit me back. Thanks & God bless!

Hello there! I just read your blog on your Bohol trip. I’m planning to go to Bohol in July all alone. Could you recommend an agency that can help me go there? How much do i shell out for my stay in Bohol (airfare, hotel, etc)? I’m planning like 3-day stay there. I hope you hit me back. Thanks & God bless!

Apparently, I didn’t arrange my Bohol trip with any travel agencies. I just booked my airfare, hotel and tours all by myself mainly because its much practical and cheaper. For starters you need to check daily flights going to Bohol. Check Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific and Zest Air websites for the time schedules because they fly on daily basis to Tagbiliran City which is the main city of Bohol. From there, you need to decide in which place you need to stay. Either in the city (Tagbilaran) or in Panglao Island since both are distant from each other typically 1 hr drive away. For list of tourist accommodations in a specific destination you can check with http://www.tripadvisor.com, its a good tool since travelers like you put their reviews and recommendations. As for me I stayed at Paragayo Resort. Now for the tours you may check this with the hotel. They directly offer these services and sometimes they do package it with the accommodation fee.

What’s better? Coco Vida Bar or Opps Bar? We’ll be staying at Alona Studios Apartment hotel the following week. I’ve been searching for places to eat (and to party), can you recommend something? Thanks!!